Bridge and Z
by ellesxjadore
Summary: Bridge and Z one shots. First up is Break Down.


_First, a note to 'missy', if she's he or she is reading: why did Tears and Rain suck, exactly? At least leave a decent review, I mean, that's what reviews are for, right? Thanks for time to express what you think anyway (glares sarcastically)._

_I've got a list of things to do stuck on my wall, and this is not one of them. I'm bored, give me some credit. I guess I've been doing some "deep thinking". This is one of my favourite pairings, but as I said, I'm still undecided. Please review, it helps._

**---**

**Break Down**

_Something isn't right_, thought Bridge as he marched the D Squad cadets back to the Delta Base. Z had missed training, not something she'd usually do. The normally bright and bubbly Z had been a lot more secretive of late. Bridge clenched his gloved fists tight. He wouldn't be able to read her aura unless she allowed him too, or if he decided it was a desperate enough situation.

Jack, Sky and Syd had left Bridge in charge of D Squad. He began to get tired of the repetitive steps; left, right, left, right, and so forth.

"Squad, turning to the left; left turn!" he called. D Squad performed a rather shabby left turn on the march, causing Bridge to sigh. Getting tired of the slowness of it all, Bridge decided to speed things up. "Squad, on the double; quick march!" They broke into a run. "Left, right, left, right, left, right!"

The day was about to dawn. Early morning training was always tough, but today had been brutal. The sun began to rise in the East, illuminating New Tech City in glorious sunlight.

Finally, they were back at base.

"Squad, halt!" D Squad attempted to halt, but most of them nearly tripped over. "Into line; right turn!" They turned to face Bridge. "Okay guys, how do you think training went today?"

The cadets looked at their feet.

"I suppose we could have done better," spoke up one dark haired girl.

"That you could have," said Bridge. "For Thursday's training I want you all to be in tip top condition. If you're not, I'll have you running laps. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" they replied in unison.

"Dismissed."

D Squad saluted, and went their separate ways.

"Time for some toast, I think," Bridge mused to himself.

---

Bridge made his way up to the canteen. Pushing open the doors, he found it almost empty. Z was sitting alone cradling a cup of tea. He grabbed some toast and sat opposite her.

"Hey Z," he found himself say as he buttered his toast.

"Hey." She gave the smallest nod of the head. Her dark hair was un-brushed, her uniform crumpled and creased and there were black marks under her eyes. She looked so weary.

Bridge furrowed his eyebrows as he began to eat. "Are you okay, Z? You missed training this morning."

"Yeah…" She stared at her mug of tea. "I was feeling rough this morning."

"Uh huh. Z, are you sure nothing's wrong?" he persisted. She nodded her head. Bridge stuck out his pinky and put it into her tea.

"Hey, I was gonna drink that!" she exclaimed. Finally, she had perked up a bit.

Bridge grinned. "Sure, while it's cold."

Z raised her eyebrows. "So what? I lost track of time."

"I'll say…" he muttered. "Listen Z, let me read your aura. Let me see what's wrong."

She shook her head. "I don't think so Bridge."

He looked right into her eyes. "Please Z, I want to help."

After a few reluctant moments, Z nodded slightly. Bridge removed on of his black leather gloves and gave it to Z. He closed his eyes, and tried to work out why Z was feeling this way.

_Okay, so I'm a little nervous. She might hate me after this. Stop, stop! Concentrate Bridge! Right, there's a little purple, a smidge of blue, but it's mostly grey and black. She must be feeling so depressed. Why, though? Would she tell me?_

"Bridge, stop, please," came Z's voice from nowhere. Bridge snapped back into reality.

"Z, what's wrong? Your aura tells me you're feeling really low at the moment. Tell me, perhaps I can help."

She sighed. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not!" he shot back. "I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't think there was anything wrong! I care about you, Z. Let me help."

Her gaze was downcast, but slowly, she lifted it.

"I'm breaking down, Bridge, I'm really suffering!" She inhaled deeply as Bridge placed his hand on hers. "My head is twisting and turning and I don't know left from right!"

Bridge laughed a little. "I do. I hate taking drill."

The corner of Z's mouth rose slightly into a smile. That was good.

"So…why are you so down?"

Silence.

"I, err, I found out who my father is yesterday…" she whispered, so quietly Bridge could barely hear.

More silence.

"Oh," was all Bridge could say. How could he pursue it? Was it good news or bad? Would Z want to talk about it anymore?

"Say something," came Z's voice. Bridge looked at her. Her eyes looked desperate.

"Well, who is he? Is he, you know, alive?"

Z's hand found the back of her neck. Scratching it gently, tears began to seep from the corners of her eyes.

"Danny Delgado, former Black Wild Force Power Ranger," she sobbed. At this, Bridge sat beside her and placed his arm around her, allowing her to cry onto his shoulder. "He was killed not long after I was born!"

"Killed?" marvelled Bridge. "Who by? Do you know?"

Biting her lip, Z took a deep breath.

"Gruumm."

Bridge pulled her close and pressed her lips against her forehead.

"Listen to me, Z," he began with uttermost sincerity, "I'll help you get through this. Maybe we can find your mom." He held out a tissue. Taking it, Z sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks, Bridge. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"And vice versa."

---

_Yes, crummy ending. Wasn't sure whether I wanted to post it, but my good friend Jnr Cpl Nottingham convinced me. Love you, Kyra! Thanks also to the real vampire! You two rock! As I said, reviews are appreciated, good or bad (not including missy)._


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